Two Alphas, One Luna

The Devil You Know

WARNING: VIOLENCE AND ADULT LANGUAGE

Priya

I felt like I was on auto pilot mentally for the last four days. Helping my mother make funeral preparations was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. My sister’s and brothers came together to help of course, but it hadn’t been easy. Emotions were high, and we were all adults with our own opinions now. At times we would clash but our mother snatched us by the back of our necks with her sheer will. Just like when we were pups. I aspired to be as loved and respected as she was one day.

We held a private funeral at the cabin in Dawnshire. It was the only secluded location that had enough space to host our allies and families. My mother had a big heart, which was often a gift and a curse for her. Much to my dismay, she wanted to invite the Golden Fang pack. I was strongly against the idea. The last thing we needed was Mercer and his pack stirring up trouble while we were in mourning. It took a heated argument and a whole lot of intervention from Gracian for her to finally back down. It wasn’t that she particularly liked Mercer, she just didn’t want anyone to feel excluded. Me personally? I didn’t give a damn about his feelings. If he had any.

We all gathered in the backwoods about a quarter mile from the cabin. An expansive nature trail connected to the main road the cabin was on. It was breathtaking in the warmer months.

My father’s casket was set above the six foot deep hole that was to be his final resting place. Because the ground was frozen, it took the grave diggers three days to completely dig the hole. His casket was made of mahogany wood with gold trimmings. Black Lotus Hellebores, also known as The Winter Rose, covered the top of his casket. Although they were dark and even a little intimidating, their beauty enticed you. The scent was off putting, but it was worth seeing them bloom in the winter months. In spite of the harsh conditions, such beauty shined. I couldn’t think of a better flower to represent my father.

Unlike most traditional funerals, there wasn’t a monotone priest reading scripture over the deceased. When an Alpha dies, the wolf next in line for the position spoke. I stood a couple of feet away from Gracian as he spoke. He didn’t write a speech, and decided to speak freely. My mother and siblings stood with me. The entire Red Eye Pack stood with the large crowd of other packs. It brought me some small solace to see how many people showed up to pay their respects.

I was a little out of sorts during Gracian’s speech. I heard him but, it was like watching the funeral from someone else’s eyes. Trying to process this was putting me deep into dissociation.

“Priya? Priya?”

My mother’s voice pulled me back into reality. Her hand had been on my shoulder and I hadn’t felt it there. I looked over at her tear streaked face. She looked worried.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“They’re ready to lower his casket. Sweetheart, are you okay?” She asked. I simply nodded.

Gracian came over to me, taking my gloved hand into his. Four members of our pack stood on the sides of my father’s casket. One of the four was my father’s best friend, Atlas. A lowering mechanism was situated in front of the gravestone. Atlas was the one to switch it on. Slowly and smoothly, the casket lowered into the earth. The bitter cold air was spiteful today. Even with a naturally high body temp that comes with being a werewolf, it was uncomfortably cold. Fitting on a day like this really.

Once my father’s casket was fully in the ground, Atlas gave the the okay for the dirt to be filled in. The four men that stood beside the grave grabbed their shovels from the massive mound of dirt nearby. Only then did I have the courage to step away from the grave site. The guests slowly followed my mother, my siblings, and myself out of the depths of the forest. Everyone was getting a nice long walk on the nature trail today.

“There’s a lot of food waiting for us. Are you hungry at all?” Gracian asked.

“My stomach is telling me to eat but, I don’t really have an appetite“

“You haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon. Are you sure?” He said giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Think of it as fasting. I’m not trying to starve myself…” My tone was solemn, probably not very convincing. Even so, he didn’t press further.

Gracian knew me well enough to know that doing so would only make me stonewall him. It made me love him more to see that he knew when to give me time to sort through my feelings.

As we made it back to the main road of the cabin, we were met with an uninvited welcoming party. Everyone stopped walking mid step. The Golden Fang Pack stood spread out across the property line. They were dressed in all black for the occasion. Various cars were parked near the entrance in a line, blocking anyone from leaving. Most of their pack members were holding some kind of semi automatic weapon. Mercer stood at the forefront holding what looked like a tranquilizer gun, a big one.

“Mercer? What do you think you’re doing?!” My mother shouted at him.

He raised his eyebrows as if he were surprised that she’d asked.

“Dear Bellephine, I’ve come to claim what was promised to me of course.” He said smiling. His dark gaze soon found me. I glared at him with disgust.

“Nothing and no one here belongs to you, Mercer. Leave us to mourn our Alpha in peace.” Gracian said, slowly moving in front of me.

The smile wilted from Mercer’s face. He took a couple of steps forward, still holding his weapon at his side.

“I’m sure you wish that were true, beta. However, I’m here to tell you that Priya isn’t going to be your Luna. Warrick promised her to me long ago.” He said those words so confidently, that wondered if he was actually telling the truth.

I stepped from behind Gracian, standing beside him instead.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Mercer suddenly started laughing. His free hand covering his face briefly.

“Oh Priya…?Daddy’s got a secret?…” He sang those last words, taunting me.

“Enough of your games Mercer!” I shouted at him.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. It looked very old.

“This is a hand written letter from Warrick. Fourteen years ago, he promised that I would have you as my Luna. In return, I wouldn’t tell your mother that he sired a bastard with my eldest sister. At the time, he was still mated to Bellephine. Considering the collective looks of shock and confusion on your faces, he tried to take his transgressions to the grave after he reneged on our agreement.”

Mercer outstretched his hand, offering the letter to me.

“See for yourself.” He said. I shook my head in disbelief.

Gracian walked up to him in my stead. He snatched the letter from Mercer, causing him to smirk. When he came back to me, we read the letter together. My mother leaned in to read it as well. There it was in black & white. My father’s handwriting as well as his red wolf seal. It was true. I didn’t want to believe Mercer but, the letter was scathing proof.

“How could he? HOW COULD HE DO THIS TO ME?!” My mother cried furiously.

I understood her anger. I never thought he would be capable of such a betrayal. He knew that I would rather bite off my own tongue than be Mercer’s Luna…How could he do this to me?! I took the letter from Gracian and ripped it up. The pieces scattered in the wind. Gracian was baring his fangs at Mercer. I could hear a deep, threatening growl coming from him and our other pack members now. Mercer’s people suddenly raised their weapons at us.

“Aht aht. Choosing to do this the hard way is going to cause a lot of unnecessary blood shed. Priya, if you value the lives of your pack members, come with me willingly.” He said.

“You know I won’t! What my father did was selfish and despicable, but we shouldn’t have to suffer for it!” I screamed at him.

“I agree. Which is why I offered you a choice. Come to me willingly, or I’ll kill anyone that stands in my way.” Mercer threatened.

He meant it, I knew it. We all knew it. He was known for his cruelty in battle and outside of it. There were children among us, multiple generations, our allies. I couldn’t allow it. Being a leader meant sacrificing your wants and desires for the sake of others. If keeping my pack safe meant that I had to become his Luna, then I didn’t really have a choice. I took a step forward, but Gracian stepped in front of me.

“No! I’ll be damned if he swoops in here and rips you away from us. f**k YOU Mercer! She’s not going anywhere, not unless you kill me.” Gracian growled.

“If you’re offering me your life, I’ll gladly take it!” He growled furiously.

Mercer started advancing towards us, his pack spread out in mass. They were trying to surround us.

“Run. Shift and run as fast and far as you can.” Gracian whispered to me. I looked up at him, shaking my head.

“You want me to leave you and my family? I won’t do it!”

He looked down at me then, he dark red eyes starting to glow furiously.

“Yes, you will. No matter what you hear behind you, keep running. I’ll find you.” He kissed me then, deeply. I broke the kiss and looked over to my mother and siblings.

“Listen to Gracian, don’t be stubborn! We’ll be f-“

My mother’s words were cut short my a bullet. It went through her neck, causing blood to spurt out. My siblings and I screamed. Gracian shoved me away before he began to shift.

“RUN!” He roared at me.

I said nothing more and took off running back the way we came. Everyone moved to let me pass, creating a defensive wall. I heard the guns firing as I ran for my life. Tearing my little black dress and cloak off, I began to shift into my wolf form. It wasn’t as painful as it used to be when I was a teenager, but it still hurt nonetheless. When I fully shifted, I could run a lot faster. However, so could the enemy. My dark red fur wasn’t much help in the way of camouflage, so I couldn’t stop to rest.

The cold winter air whistled against my ears, and slightly stung my eyes. If I had any chance of survival, I needed to find shelter from the bitter cold. I had to get back to my pack somehow, I had to help them. Something zipped past my ear and hit one of the pine trees. I came to a sliding stop, the snow blowing around my feet briefly. A tranquilizer was stuck into the tree. I looked ahead to see four massive brown wolves charging towards me. Mercer was still in human form, mounted on one of their backs. I quickly turned to run again, but I didn’t get far before I felt a tranquilizer dart sink into my lower back.

I yelped, but I didn’t stop running. If he wanted me he was going to have to hunt me. Whatever sedative was inside of that tranq, it was strong as hell. I was starting to feel sleepy and weak. My legs couldn’t carry my any further. I collapsed into the snow and began shifting back into human form. I could barely sit up, but I managed. The four wolves slowed down and came to surround me. I looked up to see Mercer jump down from the second one nearest me.

“You…You son of a b***h…” I stammered. I sounded drunk.

“Yeah, yeah.” He said, totally unbothered.

Mercer crouched down in front of me, a sly smirk on his wicked face. He tucked his weapon into it’s holster before removing his fur lined, tan winter coat. After draping it around me, I noticed blood spatters on the lower half of his shirt. This scent…

“What did you do to Gray?! What did you do?!” I cried.

“I think you should be more concerned about yourself right now.”

He moved closer to me before pulling me into his arms. He picked me up as he got back onto his feet, as if I weighed nothing. My eyes felt like weighted blankets. I closed my eyes as my consciousness began to fade into twilight.

“Let’s head back.” Mercer said.

I drifted off, only hearing the sounds of the pine trees creaking with every gust of wind.